Thursday, September 10, 2020, 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Department of Classical Studies, Colloqium
Many gods lived in the Roman Empire. All ancient people, including Jews, Christians, and those designated “atheists,” knew this to be the case. Exploring the ways that Jews and Christians in Roman antiquity thought about and dealt with other gods while remaining loyal to their own god, this essay focuses particularly on the writings and activities of three highly-identified Jews: Philo of Alexandria, Herod the Great, and the apostle Paul. All three were variously involved with foreign gods. Historians’ reliance on the term “monotheist” to describe Jews and Christians, however, prevents our appreciation of the many different social relationships, human and divine, that all ancient peoples had to navigate. Worse: “monotheism” fundamentally misdescribes the religious sensibility of antiquity.
The handout: Pf Many Gods UPenn 2020.doc.